Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-11-18
AFTER TWO YEARS.
BY a. URBAN EvERETTE.

I am afraid he will never come to,
Grace"
AS the lad said these words h low,
whispered tones. he desisted from his
occupation of chatting The hands of the
apparently lifeless man before him, to
look up questioningly into his compan-
ions face.
1t was terrible night without; the
thunder was rolling and crashing, while
every few moments tho darkness was
illuminated by flashes of forlled light
ming. At the foot of the winding stone
stairs, which led up to the lighthouse
tower, was stretched an unconscious
form, while over him bent the brother
and sister, endeavoring with all their
might to coax back the spark of life
which the cruel waves had striven to
extinguish forever. The boy was young
about Is, while the girl was perhaps
two years his senior. She was tall and
1.-THE, with noble and beautiful face
and resolute eyes.
Her attire was simply-made dress of
some waterproof material and it showed
traces of recent contact with the water,
as did her hair, which hung in drenched
masses down over her shoulders.
ooh, Tom, do not stop!" she OK
claimed, in answer to her brothers
words. 1 think he has only tainted.
Yes; see, he moves"
And even as she spoke, the object of
their kindness opened his eyes.
Grace had been right. He had only
tainted, and after while. with much
assistance, he was enabled to ascend
the lighthouse stairs.
With apt, tender fingers, Grace made
him comfortable upon sofa, which was
the chief article of furniture of which
the tiny room boosted, and then left
him alone with her brother, while she
departed to freshly trim the light.
Now, my lad, while your sister is
away want you to tell me what has
happened. To whom do owe my life
I remember embarking for sail, of a
sudden storm, OF vainly trying to return
to shore, and then of Icing capsized
and adrift at the mercy of the waves; ;
after that all is blank"
At the request of the stranger, Tom,
nothing 10th, began his story in his
energetic, boyish way, and John Main
waring soon saw that if it had not been
for the courage and daring of this lad
and his sister he would not now have
been in the land of the living.
1t had happened chat morning that
the lighthouse keeper had started upon
one Of his rare trips to the mainland,
leaving his son and daughter to perform
his duties.
When the storm had risen Grace had
been busying herself about the light
when her brother came to her with the
intelligence that during a flash of
lightning he had seen small sail-boat
capsize Just off the rock bound shore of
their island.
I Together, they, armod with a strong
coil of rope, had proceeded out upon
the rocks as far as they dared, and
strained their eager eyes over the rag
ang water, trying to see if there were
any chance Of saving q human life.
During one OF the lurid lightning
flashes they had suddenly discerned q
dark object which had seemingly been
thrown by the waves upon the rocks
which reared their jagged heads out of
the water. They could not be certain
whether the dark object were floating
spar, OF man but without moments
hesitation the girl, as she was the bet
Ger swimmer OF the two, had wound one
end Of the rope round her waist, while
her brother held the other, and had
courageously struck out amid the buffet
ing waves. ....
"Grace caught you and pulled yor
both in, SIR" concluded Tom, simply
as if the action had been an everyday
occurrence; "and for o while [ was
afraid You would never come to-"
The next morning when John trieC
TO walk he found that the sprain to his
ankle which at first had seemed very
slight, had become very painful ani
that Inflammation had set in. So he haC
no alternative but to accept the cordia
invitation of the light-house-keepel
(who had returned as soon as the storm
abated) to stay while upon the
island.
Several weeks fitted by and ye
John Mainwaring remained at the light
house, adapting himself with tru'
courtesy to the simple ways of his en-
tertainers. And at length it came t.
pass that the man of the world, who